Dealing with customer complaints can be a challenging task, but when you have the tools to help you understand the customer's concerns and how to resolve them, the result can be a happy customer.

Creating the Best Outcome

When customers present concerns, they want them handled quickly and effectively. As the person helping them, you want to understand the nature of the issue and assure the client you are there to get the job done. Sometimes, however, the customer disagrees with the solution or can be downright difficult during the resolution process. This will require you to diffuse the situation and negotiate the best outcome for the customer and you.

Understanding the Issue

Let's look at a customer complaint scenario in which you're an associate at an electronics store. A customer, Ms. Smith, has a television she bought from your store three days ago, and the picture is distorted and won't clear up. To help Ms. Smith, you need to understand the issue and customer needs by doing the following:

Listening to the issues

Understanding the desired outcome

Confirming you understand

Affirming you can help

Managing the issue

You know the issue is that the picture is distorted. To manage the issue you need to uncover information by asking clarifying questions and determining the best path to resolving the issue.

By asking questions, you determine that the problem wasn't caused by mishandling the television, and you learn that Ms. Smith wants to exchange the TV for the same brand and model. To determine the best path to resolve the concern, you review your options. Your store no longer has the same brand and model in stock, but you do have a similar brand and model with additional features that Ms. Smith's model doesn't have. Knowing that Ms. Smith only wants the brand and model she bought, you recognize this will take a little negotiation. Negotiation requires the following:

Understanding what is important to the customer

Knowing available options

Understanding what you or your company is willing and able to offer

Determining the best solution to resolve the concern

So let's review what you know. Ms. Smith wants the same brand and model television that she originally purchased. Your store is out of that brand, but has a similar TV. You could present this option to Ms. Smith immediately and hope that she accepts the solution. But, you decide it might be better to know all the options first. In negotiations, it's best practice to understand all available options.

Determining Options

When you were asking questions, you learned that Ms. Smith has a warranty covering a repair, exchange, or refund of her TV. Your goal is to avoid a refund and get a replacement TV for Ms. Smith.

You consider your options in order of how you'd like to resolve the concern:

Option 1: Offer an exchange for a television similar to Ms. Smith's model but with additional features she didn't have on her original television. Offering an upgraded model provides an immediate solution for the customer.

Option 2: Offer to get the model Ms. Smith wants from another store. However, Ms. Smith will experience a delay before receiving the new TV.

Option 3: Send Ms. Smith's TV to be fixed. However, this will be an even longer delay.

Option 4: Refund Ms. Smith's money, but this means Ms. Smith will have no longer have a television.

Presenting a Solution

You present Option 1 to Ms. Smith, but she declines the offer, noting that the quality of her TV brand is the best and she shouldn't have to settle for anything less. Sometimes, despite our efforts, customers can become disagreeable, upset, or even irate; this can cause an escalated situation that necessitates conflict resolution.

In an escalated customer situation, the best rule of thumb is to do the following:

Listen without interruption

Acknowledge the concern

Empathize with the customer's viewpoint and apologize as necessary

Recommend another option

Get agreement from the customer

In our situation, you might say something like this:

'Ms. Smith, I understand your concern. Having your brand is important to you. I apologize that we didn't have that brand in store. What I can do is check with another branch and get the television here to you. Will that work for you?'

Listening to, acknowledging, and empathizing with the customer's concern helps get you and the customer on the path to a resolution. Ms. Smith agrees to wait for delivery of a replacement TV from a different store and is satisfied with the outcome. You close the issue by thanking the customer for selecting your store and inviting her back for future electronics needs.

Lesson Summary

In this lesson, you saw that delivering good customer service requires being clear about a customer's concern by listening, understanding the desired outcome, and being willing to help. Once you understand the issue, it's time to manage it by asking questions and finding the best way to resolve it. You might need to use negotiation skills, which requires understanding available options, knowing what your store or company is willing to offer, and understanding what is important to the customer.

In reviewing options, you should determine how they'll affect the customer and you or your company. Present the options to the customer. If the customer doesn't like an option, you can use conflict resolution techniques. To dissolve the conflict, you'll need to listen to and empathize with the customer and then offer another option. Once the customer is pleased with the outcome, your last step is to close the issue by thanking the customer and inviting him or her back. When you use these skills in resolving customer complaints and conflicts, it can create a better experience for you and the customer.

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